TEDxTC - Winona LaDuke - Seeds of Our Ancestors, Seeds of Life

Summary

This powerful talk explores the deep connection between Indigenous peoples and their food systems, highlighting the sacred relationship with foods like wild rice, corn, and taro. It emphasizes the cultural, historical, and spiritual significance of traditional foods and the need to protect them from genetic engineering and patenting. The speaker shares personal stories of resilience, community, and the fight to restore and preserve Indigenous crops. With a focus on sustainability and biodiversity, the talk calls for a return to local, organic food practices as a way to combat climate change and reconnect with ancestral wisdom.

Takeaways

• 😀 Food is deeply connected to culture, history, and relationships with nature, and it's considered sacred by the Ojibwe people.
• 😀 Wild rice (minoman) is a central and sacred food for the Ojibwe, and its harvest is both a spiritual and cultural practice.
• 😀 The Ojibwe people follow teachings from their prophets, which include the belief that they were guided to a land where wild rice grows to sustain them.
• 😀 The importance of maintaining food sovereignty is highlighted, especially in the face of genetic engineering and patenting, which threaten native food varieties.
• 😀 Similar struggles for food sovereignty are seen in other indigenous cultures, such as the Hawaiians' fight against genetic engineering of taro and the Maoris' battle to protect their traditional potatoes.
• 😀 The loss of agro-biodiversity is a global concern, with a 75% decline in seed species in the last 100 years, leading to food insecurity and health issues like diabetes in communities.
• 😀 The industrialization of food systems, with a focus on monoculture and concentrated ownership of seeds, has serious economic and health impacts, especially for Native communities like White Earth.
• 😀 Traditional foods, like the Bear Island Flint corn, are being restored in Native communities, helping them resist climate challenges and promote local, sustainable agriculture.
• 😀 The rise of genetically engineered foods and industrial agriculture leads to a loss of nutritional value, while heirloom varieties tend to have higher nutritional content.
• 😀 Restoring the relationship between communities and their ancestral foods is crucial, not only for food security and health but also for cultural and environmental resilience.

Q & A

What is the significance of wild rice (minoman) to the Ojibwe people?

Wild rice (minoman) is considered the most sacred food by the Ojibwe people. It is the first food given to a child and the last before someone passes into the spirit world. It holds deep cultural and spiritual importance, symbolizing the relationship between the people and the land.

How does the Ojibwe community traditionally harvest wild rice?

The Ojibwe harvest wild rice using a traditional method involving canoes and two sticks. They paddle across the lakes during the wild rice-making moon (August to September), gathering the rice by gently knocking it into the canoe. Despite using modern tools like aluminum canoes, the process remains largely unchanged from historical practices.

What is the connection between the Hawaiian people and their taro (kalo)?

For the Hawaiian people, taro (kalo) is deeply tied to their cosmogenealogy. According to their creation story, taro emerged from the stillborn child of the sky and the stars, symbolizing a connection between their people and the land. Like the Ojibwe, Hawaiians have fought against the genetic engineering and patenting of their sacred food.

Why did the Maori people fight against the genetic engineering of their peru peru potatoes?

The Maori people, who trace their origins to ancient sea voyages from South America, fought against the genetic engineering of their peru peru potatoes to protect their sacred food. They successfully opposed the modification and preserved the cultural and genetic integrity of the potato variety.

What is the current threat to global biodiversity and traditional food varieties?

Over the past century, agro-biodiversity has declined by 75%, with many traditional food species becoming extinct. The current threat includes monoculture farming, where fewer varieties dominate the food system, and the concentration of seed ownership by a small number of corporations.

How has the loss of traditional foods affected the health of Indigenous communities?

The loss of traditional foods has led to a rise in health issues, particularly diabetes, in Indigenous communities. As traditional diets were replaced by industrialized, processed foods, the community's health has deteriorated, with dietary-related illnesses becoming more prevalent.

What is the economic impact of the food system on Indigenous reservations like White Earth?

In the White Earth Reservation, approximately $8 million is spent annually on food, with $7 million spent off-reservation at large corporations like Walmart. This outflow of money represents a lost opportunity for local food production and economic self-sufficiency.

What steps are being taken to restore traditional food practices in the White Earth community?

The White Earth community has initiated projects like the corn restoration project, focused on reintroducing heritage varieties such as Bear Island Flint corn. These efforts aim to revitalize traditional agriculture and restore food sovereignty, improving both health and economic conditions.

What are the benefits of growing traditional, heirloom varieties of food like squash?

Traditional heirloom varieties, like the Lakota squash, are more resilient and nutritious than industrialized crops. They are naturally higher in amino acids, antioxidants, and trace minerals, and they often require less intervention, such as refrigeration or pesticides, making them more sustainable and nutritious.

How does the story of the Pawnee people's corn illustrate the importance of food and cultural preservation?

The story of the Pawnee corn illustrates the deep connection between food and culture. After the Pawnee lost their corn variety during forced relocation, they were able to restore it with the help of descendants of settlers. This process symbolizes redemption and the importance of preserving ancestral knowledge and food traditions for future generations.